Building unit and cavity roof or wall made therefrom



Oct. 10, 1950 H. w. ASHMAN 2,525,059

BUILDING UNIT AND CAVITY ROOF 0R WALL MADE THEREFROM Filed July 25, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nventor MW 144mm m? Al rney Oct. 10, 1950 H. 'w. ASHMAN 2,525,059

} BUILDING UNIT AND CAVITY ROOF 0R WALL MADE THEREFROM Filed July 25, 1947 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Patented Oct. 10, 195 6 BUILDING UNIT AND CAVITY ROOF OR WALL MADE THEREFROM Herbert William Ashman, Hale, England, assignor to Keasbey & Mattison Company, Ambler, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July'25, 1947, Serial No. 763,579 In Great Britain January 1, 1947 7 9 Claims. 1 This invention relates to building units for cavity roofs and walls and to roofs and walls made therefrom.

The principal object of this invention to pro vide corrugated units made from sheet material, e. g. asbestos-cement, from which. a cavity roof, Wall or partition can readily be constructed.

Another object is to provide a cavity roof, wall or partition constructed from corrugated units of sheet material.

The annexed drawings show the preferred embodiment of the invention and in them: 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of one unit;

Figure 2 shows part of a. roof built up from the units; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-section illustrating the overlapping of two units.

The unit shown in Figure 1 is made from asbestos cement and is 8 feet long and just under 4 feet wide. It has a central corrugated part composed of one trough I and one inverted trough 2 with a common inclined wall 3. From the free wall 4 of the trough the sheet extends horizontally at 5 through a distance about equal to the width of the trough, being then stepped upwardly at 6 through a distance equal to the thickness of the material, and continuing as a fiat part 1. Similarly the sheet extends horizontally at 8 in the opposite direction from the free wall 9 of the inverted trough, being then stepped downwardly at In corresponding to the upward step 6, and continuing as a fiat part II. I and II and the central corrugated part each constitute about one third of the total width.

It will be seen that stated broadly the unit has a, central corrugated part composed of a pair of troughs, one trough being inverted relatively to the other and the two troughs being of the same depth and having a common inclined wall, and a flat part at each side of the corrugated part, one flat part lying below the bottom of one trough by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material, and the other flat part lying above the top of the other or inverted trough by a similar distance. may be more than one such pair of troughs in' the corrugated part, the bottoms of the troughs proper then lying in one plane and those of the inverted troughs in another plane.

When assembled in conjunction with other units on supports I2 having their centre lines 8 ft. apart from one another, as shown in Figure 2, the upper horizontal flat part 1 of one unit passes over the trough l and inverted trough 2 The flat parts If desired there of the neXt unit and rests on the ledge formed by the flat part 5 of the next unit. Its upper surface is thus brought flush with that ofthe part I of the next unit, as thestep 6 is equal in depth to the thickness of the sheet. Similarly the lower horizontal fiat part II of the first ;unit passes under the corrugations of the adjacent unit on'the other side and lies beneath the part 8 of this unit, thus forming a level under surface. It will be seen that each short flat part, 5 or 8 constitutes a ledge which is overlapped by the free edge of another unit.

In consequence of the method of assembly described, the assembled units provide opposite and substantially flat roof or wall surfaces separated by the walls of the corrugations, the space between the opposed surfaces being divided into cavities formed by the interiors of the troughs and by the spaces between an end trough in one unit and the first (and relatively inverted) trough in the next unit. r

The presence of the corrugations imparts such rigidity to the whole unit that the units can be assembled on rafters or other supports spaced widely apart from one another, e. g. at twice the usual spacing. The cavities give all the usual advantages of thermal insulation and so forth.

In the assembled units the resultant effect is of two flush surfaces separated largely by a series of cavities and held apart by the walls of the corrugations. In roof, either flat or pitched, a Weatherproof covering such as bituminous felt or asphalt may be applied to the outer surface, While the inner surface provides the ceiling to the room below, the air-spaces providing suitable housing for electric conduits or other services. When the units are used for walls or partitions no additional covering is normally necessary.

The units shown may be modified. For instance, the corrugated part need not lie exactly in the middle of the unit, provided that the fiat parts are of such length that when the units are overlapped there is a continuous flat surface at each face. However, it is most convenient to make each flat part and the corrugated part about one third of the total Width.

I claim:

1. A building unit made from asbestos cement sheet material and formed with a central corrugated part having at least one pair of troughs of the same depth, one trough in each pair being inverted relatively to the other, and a fiat part at each side of said corrugated part, one of said flat parts lying below the bottom' of a trough or series of troughs by a distance substantially equal aszaose 3 to the thickness of the material, and the other of said fiat parts lying above the top of the other or inverted trough or series of troughs by a similar distance.

2. A building unit according to claim 1 in which each fiat part and the corrugated part constitute one third of the total width.

3. A building unit according to claim 1 in which the corrugated part merges at each side into the adjacent fiat part by a short fiat part stepped inwards by the thickness of the material from said adjacent flat part.

4. A building unit made from asbestos cement sheet material and formed with a central corrugated part constituted by a pair of troughs, one inverted relatively to the other and the said troughs having a common inclined wall between them, and a flat part at each side of said corrugated part, one of said fiat parts lying below the bottom of one of said troughs by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material and the other of said flat parts being above the top of the other and relatively inverted trough by a similar distance.

5. A building unit as defined in claim 4 in which said corrugated part merges at each side into said adjacent fiat part by a short fiat part stepped inwards from said adjacent flat part by the thickness of the material.

6. A cavity roof or wall formed from asbestos cement units each having a central corrugated part composed of at least one pair of troughs both or all of the same depth, one trough in each pair being inverted relatively to the other, and a fiat part at each side of the corrugated part, one flat part lying below the bottom of a trough or troughs by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material, and the other flat part lying above the top of the other or inverted trough or troughs by a similar distance, and the units overlapping to provide opposite and substantially fiat roof or wall surfaces separated by the walls of the corrugations, the space between 4 the opposed surfaces being divided into cavities formed by the interiors of the troughs and by the spaces between an end trough in one unit and the first (and relatively inverted) trough in the next unit.

7. A cavity roof or wall according to claim 6 in which the corrugated part of each unit merges at each side into the adjacent main flat part by a short fiat part stepped inwards by the thickness of the material from the main flat part, each such short flat part constituting a ledge which is overlapped by the free edge of another unit.

8. A building unit made from asbestos cement sheet material and formed with a central corrugated part having at least one pair of troughs of the same depth; the troughs having divergent side walls, one trough in each pair being inverted relatively to the other and each pair of troughs having a common inclined side wall between them; and a flat part at each side of said corrugated part, one of said flat parts lying below the bottom of a trough or series of troughs by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material, and the other of said flat parts lying above the top of the other or inverted trough or series of troughs by a similar distance.

9. A building unit according to claim 8 in which the corrugated part merges at each side into the adjacent fiat part by a short flat part stepped inwards by the thickness of the material The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,900,711 Howard Mar. 7, 1933 2,424,080 Engstrom July 15, 1947 

